Second-generation drag racer Matt Latino has made an impact in his debut season competing in the prestigious NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Wheeling one of the powerful KB Titan Racing Pro Stock Chevrolets in one of the most competitive categories in the series, Latino has claimed round wins and already reached a final. The Rookie of the Year contender intends to build upon that positive first-impression, and this weekend, he’ll do so flying the flag for FASS Diesel Systems at the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish.
FASS is a trusted name in the world of diesel trucks, known for building fuel systems that deliver more power, better reliability, and maximum efficiency. Latino will carry the FASS partnership throughout the 2025 Countdown to the Championship playoffs with additional races in St. Louis, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Pomona.
“It means a lot to me, personally, to have a company like FASS Diesel Systems get behind me in my rookie year,” said Latino, a 2024 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 inductee. “It’s been a learning experience but I feel like I’ve learned quickly, and I’m proud of our accomplishments already. I know that there’s more to come, and I couldn’t be more excited to get back in my KB Titan Racing Camaro and go FASS.”
Although Latino’s career behind the wheel of a professional race car is still relatively fresh, Latino raced go-karts beginning at age five before diving into door car action at 16. His in-depth knowledge of the upper echelons of the sport began at the age of 12. That’s when he began crewing for father Eric Latino, who then raced Pro Mod and became an NHRA national record holder who would be inducted into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2019.
The two now race together under the KB Titan Racing umbrella, and the Reading Nationals will be the younger Latino’s eighth Pro Stock race of his career after licensing in the naturally aspirated class of factory hot rods in early 2025.
In just his second national event, he qualified and scored a round win. The following race, the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, he reached the final round, and from there he was a top-half qualifier at each event attempted. Out of six race-day starts, Latino has gotten at least one round win at all but one. In a testament to his adaptability to the fierce KB Titan Horsepower, he reset his personal best elapsed time to a blistering 6.495-second in Seattle and qualified a career-best No. 6 in Sonoma, his most recent event.
“Once you start to see the results that you’ve been working so hard for, you want to build on it,” he said. “We’ll have a chance to do that now thanks to FASS Diesel Systems and our great partners.”
This story was originally published on September 9, 2025. 